The heat is really on here in kitchen stadium. Today's secret ingredient is...

Ampicillin!!!!!!!!!

Whose cuisine will reign supreme?

My friends, I am sorry to report that Marcel, Donna and Magoo are all on a course of antibiotics for foot and leg infections. Donna is the worst off, but she does seem to be responding to the antibiotics we have been giving her.

Donna's leg was quite swollen and we were afraid we were going to have to trap her and have her put to sleep. Our vet prescribed a course of antibiotics for the whole litter, since all appeared to have some sort of infection. He suggested we put their medicine in meatballs, and initially I tried this. Ground beef splatters when a medicine-laden meatball is thrown from a window. I found I had to fry the meatballs to keep them solid enough to toss to the raccoons. This was a hassle, and also not exactly cheap. In a quest to find something cheaper and easier, I created these ultimate raccoon taste treats:

Recipe for Medicine Laden Raccoon Treats

Put a dab of bacon grease on a plate.

Open a capsule of ampicillin and mix the powder in with the bacon grease.

Mash in finely grated cheese and form a ball.

Put a second layer of unmedicated cheese around the inner cheese core.

Roll again into a tight ball.

Dip in bacon grease.

Toss to raccoons, twice daily.

Yes, friends. I put the "Crazy" in Crazy Raccoon Lady.

For those of you who might be new to us, this is a place where Critter People come and talk about whatever interests them. There is no such thing as "off topic" in the Critter Cafe.

Welcome one and all to the 16th edition of this surprisingly popular thread!

Thank you. My motivations are not as pure as you might think and I do feel guilty about tampering with nature. This litter was probably not meant to survive, but after losing a raccoon in last year's litter to canine distemper, I was driven to consult our vet and to try and intervene.

Truly my motivations are selfish. I do not want Donna to die under our deck!!! Imagine the smell!!! Eric has buried two raccoons over the years, and both had the good sense to expire out in the open where "we" could find and dispose of the remains. It is unlikely we would be so "lucky" a third time.

I also want Donna to be well enough to find her own territory. Marcel and Magoo have already taken to wandering far afield. This is normal for a litter this time of year. Poor Donna has such a badly infected foot that she does not go farther than the middle of our patio. I want her well enough to move on!!!

It's not the bacteria that gets killed off, it's the stronger bacteria that survive and multiply, 1 bite and someone could lose an arm, a leg or their life, this state has a charge of negligent homicide for that reason, so please don't tamper...
____________My Facebook, War Commander, Under Dog

Vic, what you are describing is a bit more complicated than I think you are getting. I am not worried about creating antibiotic resistant raccoon diseases, or worse yet, diseases that could hop species.

I AM worried that this litter might carry a genetic defect that makes them more prone to infection or less likely to heal from infections. By helping this litter to survive, I may be ultimately supporting the development of a genetic defect in our local raccoon population. I do think about that part of it...

Angela, so very sorry to hear about Marcel, Donna and Magoo. And I really hope that by doing what you do, it will help them. I'm sure your vet will be advising you of the various outcomes. I know that you would not interfere in nature, but I also couldn't stand by and see animals suffer. I am sure that will know the time to stand back however sad it might be.

Vic, just trust Angela to know what is best and when to just leave it alone. She has been doing this for a long time now, and I trust her judgement when to step in and when not to.

Ah Angela, you brought back memories of dealing with several aging pets over the years, and trying to get them to take their pills. They can be quite clever when it comes to detecting the medicine and spitting it out, while still eating the tasty stuff you surrounded it in. Cockers regularly get food stuck to their ears, and they can even be selective about that.

Everyone's topic is Halloween. Unfortunately with the move, we didn't have time to plan or decorate this year, so Halloween is a lost cause here. But I AM already planning for the holiday season, so all is not lost.

Glad Angela can and is willing to try to help her little friends out.
And I hope they respond well.

I am currently fighting a problem with my kitty Tigger II. After work last Thursday night, I got quite a fright. I noticed Tigger's right eye had turned half white. I was beside myself until the morning when I could get her to the vet. Some kind of infection. It does not seem to be causing her much discomfort, but looks very scary. And I don't know if she can see much out of that eye. She's on a half tab of Orbax once a day, and Gentak ointment gently applied to the eye 3 times a day.
It does not seem to be looking much better yet, but not really any worse though.
I just pray the meds do their work and my poor Tigger does not lose her eye.
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Behold the power of kitty!!